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Manchester City are probing in the hunt for reinforcements and could now lodge a record bid for a star who is keen to work under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

Coming back from the international break, the Citizens would’ve been keen to continue their recent winning form in the Premier League as Arsenal and Chelsea continue to push for title glory, though a defeat away to Newcastle United probably wasn’t in the script.

Despite having their fair share of openings, Manchester City couldn’t make them count and were punished by Harvey Barnes, leaving Guardiola’s men third in the table and seven points behind Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.

Of course, there is a long way to go before any prizes are handed out. However, Ruben Dias believes the Citizens will recover swiftly after their frustrating defeat, citing Newcastle’s excellent home record as a factor behind the result.

He told BBC Sport: “It was difficult in all ways for both teams. It was a very intense game and chances both sides. We had loads of chances and didn’t score more and we have to do better there. They scored theirs and we have to do better.

“Everyone knows how strong they are at home. First game after internationals is a tricky one and we fought as well as we could. It’s always a period of adaptation. We simply have to do better.”

In the face of a frustrating evening, Manchester City face a swift turnaround before clashes against Bayer Leverkusen and Leeds United this week, offering two chances for redemption after a rude introduction to life after the international break.

With the Premier League title race hotting up, Guardiola may now have an ace up his sleeve as the Citizens look to make up ground with their competitors at the top of English football.

Man City willing to submit record Desire Doue offer

According to reports in Spain, Manchester City are willing to submit a record offer for Desire Doue worth over £158 million and they see him as an ideal solution to provide pace and creativity within their forward line.

Intriguingly, the France international is keen to work with Guardiola due to his ability when developing talent, and contact has already been made with his representatives to try and open lanes to complete a deal.

Five similar players to Desire Doue (FBRef)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Paris Saint-Germain

Michael Olise

Bayern Munich

Bradley Barcola

Paris Saint-Germain

Jamal Musiala

Bayern Munich

Leroy Sane

Galatasaray

Making a solid start to the campaign, Doue has registered three goals and three assists in eight appearances across all competitions, though his contract in Paris is set to run until 2029, meaning his current employers hold the cards in negotiations.

Man City are brewing their own homegrown Erling Haaland

Manchester City appear willing to smash their transfer record to land the man in question and are said to be in an encouraging position, though it remains to be seen whether they can edge themselves past Luis Enrique’s hardball stance to bring in another premium option in the wide areas.

It is very early in the season, but New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. has already hit six home runs which has him on pace to easily eclipse his career-high of 24 from last year. This is very bad news for Yankees assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler.

Why? Because whenever Chisholm hits a homer this year, he bites the coach.

According to the , no one seems to know why aside from Chisholm who simply says he does it to show love.

From the report:

Nitish Kumar Reddy, who suffered a knee injury on the recent England tour, also makes a comeback

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2025Shreyas Iyer will lead a 15-member India A side against Australia A in two multi-day matches later this month in Lucknow. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who suffered a knee injury on the recent England tour, has also been included.First-choice Test players KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj were named in the squad as well, but only for the second match.Iyer last played a Test for India in February 2024, against England in Visakhapatnam. This is an opportunity for him to present his case for the two-match Test series at home against West Indies, which starts on October 2. Reddy had played the second and the third Tests of the England series in July before being ruled out with the injury. On Saturday, he bowled a lengthy spell to Sai Sudharsan and Ishan Kishan at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.Related

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Konstas, Peake, McSweeney in Australia A squad for India tour

Prasidh Krishna, Sai Sudharsan and Abhimanyu Easwaran – all part of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which India drew 2-2 – have also been named in the A team. N Jagadeesan, who was called to England for the final Test, also makes it. Wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel, who was injured and unable to play the Duleep trophy quarter-final and semi-final, has been named vice-captain. He had an extended training session at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence on Friday.Ayush Badoni, who scored a double-hundred against East Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, has been rewarded with a call-up. That was the second double-hundred of Badoni’s first-class career. Currently playing his 16th match in the format, he has 1370 runs at an average of 65.23.Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Thakur and Gurnoor Brar are among the seamers; Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey and Tanush Kotian are the spin options. Among the notable absentees are Karun Nair, who is recovering from a finger injury, Shardul Thakur and Sarfaraz Khan.The first game starts on September 16 and the second on September 23. That will be followed by three one-dayers, all in Kanpur.India A squad for Australia seriesShreyas Iyer (capt), Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (vice-capt, wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur, KL Rahul*, Mohammed Siraj*

Wrexham earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw as an inspired Arthur Okonkwo helped his side withstand an Ipswich Town onslaught at Portman Road. Phil Parkinson's men mustered just two shots to the home team's 18 and were greatly indebted to Okonkwo's brilliance in goal. While many will be concerned about their attack, their defence held steadfast once more in the Championship.

Wrexham cling on for draw

Wrexham came into the fixture off the back of a five-match unbeaten run but it was the hosts who looked the most likely to break the deadlock. The Tractor Boys, who have picked up 10 points from a possible 12 in their last four games, would have been comfortably ahead at the break had it not been for Okonkwo having a blinder. The Red Dragons' keeper did very well to keep out efforts from Sindre Egeli, Leif Davis, and Jaden Philogene as the visitors weathered a first-half storm.

After producing an Expected Goals tally of just 0.02 in the opening 45 minutes, Wrexham fans urged their team on when the contest resumed, but instead, Ipswich's onslaught continued, as shot after shot rained down on Okonkwo. 

The Welsh outfit, who were without top scorer Kieffer Moore due to injury, were defending gamely but were toothless in attack throughout the encounter. But in the end, Wrexham held on for a valuable point that sees them drop to 14th in the table, six places behind Ipswich, and just three points off the play-offs.

AdvertisementGettyThe MVP

Had it not been for Ipswich's wayward finishing and the superb Okonkwo, this could have been a demoralising defeat for Wrexham in Suffolk. The former Arsenal stopper started the season as the club's second choice, behind Danny Ward, but now he is becoming one of their most important players. 

The big loser

This will feel like a big missed opportunity for Ipswich, who are desperate to secure an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation earlier this year. They had 63 per cent possession and eight shots on target but didn't do enough to get the win their performance, arguably, deserved.

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Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl certainly likes a challenge. To go from the situation at Sheffield Wednesday to taking on a team that had a disastrous spell under Russell Martin takes some guts.

The Light Blues had a dismal start to the season under their former manager, who won one match in the Scottish Premiership, but things are already starting to turn around.

Rangers won five of the 17 matches that Martin was in the dugout for before they decided to part ways with him last month after a 1-1 draw with Falkirk in the Premiership.

Rohl has provided the Gers with an instant lift in the league. He has won all three of his matches in the top-flight, most recently with a 3-0 win over Dundee before the international break.

The former Sheffield Wednesday boss has, though, lost both of his Europa League games in charge, to Brann and Roma, which is a reminder that there is plenty of work that needs to be done.

Too many of the summer signings made by Martin and Kevin Thelwell have either flopped or have been too inconsistent, and there may be some decisions to make in January.

The summer signings who should be let go by Rangers in January

The new owners provided Thelwell with the backing to build a squad with the intention of competing for trophies in the 2025/26 campaign, but it did not go to plan under the previous coaching staff.

As you can see in the graphic above, the likes of Youssef Chermiti, Bojan Miovski, Joe Rothwell, and Mikey Moore came through the door to bolster the club’s options across the pitch.

Rothwell is one player whose future may be in doubt heading into January. At the age of 30, he was surely brought in to make an instant impact, but the central midfielder has only featured in two of Rohl’s six games and failed to make the matchday squad in the last two, per Sofascore.

Emmanuel Fernandez is another summer signing who may be on the move in January, as the young centre-back has only made three appearances in all competitions. A loan move away from Ibrox to play regular game time could be the best decision for his short-term future, if he is not going to get increased game time at Ibrox.

The former Peterborough man may not be the only centre-back who departs Glasgow when the January transfer window opens, though, as the manager should also send Nasser Djiga back to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Dundee

8

Roma

90

Celtic

102

Hibernian

90

Kilmarnock

0

Brann

76

Dundee United

0

Falkirk

90

Sturm Graz

0

Livingston

0

As you can see in the table above, the Burkina Faso international has been in and out of the team in recent months, under Martin, Stevie Smith, and Rohl, without being able to nail down a place in the starting XI.

Wolves presumably sent Djiga to Ibrox to play regular football and develop as a player, but he has not done enough with his chances on the pitch to prove that the manager should make him a first-choice option.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Premier League loanee has failed to convince with his performances for the Light Blues, and Rohl could end his Ibrox career by unleashing James Tavernier in a rarely-seen role on a regular basis.

Why Rangers should part ways with Nasser Djiga in January

The Light Blues should look to cancel Djiga’s loan deal in the January transfer window because he has not been a reliable performer for the Scottish giants so far this season.

Heart & Hand podcast creator David Edgar described him as “rotten” and Four Lads Had A Dream claimed that he “genuinely looks lost” during the loss to Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup earlier this month.

Back in August, Rangers icon Ally McCoist said that Djiga broke “every rule as a centre-back in the planet” when he failed to usher the ball back to Jack Butland against Club Brugge in a Champions League qualifier, which turned out to be a costly mistake.

This shows that fan media and pundits alike have been left unconvinced by his showings at centre-back on the pitch, whilst his lack of consistent game time suggests that his multiple managers have also been unconvinced.

Whilst the January transfer window could be utilised to sign a new centre-back to replace Djiga, Rohl could end the defender’s Ibrox career by playing Tavernier as a centre-back.

With Max Aarons at the club on loan from Bournemouth, Rangers have another right-back option who can fill in and allow the captain to play as a right-sided centre-back, which would negate any need for Djiga to continue his loan beyond January.

Right-back

502

132 + 139

Right midfield

10

2 + 3

Centre-back

7

0 + 2

Defensive midfield

3

0 + 1

As you can see in the table above, Tavernier has rarely played at centre-back for the Gers, with just seven appearances, but he does have some experience in that role.

The English full-back played as a right-sided centre-back in the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock and the 2-0 defeat to Roma, although both of those outings were as part of a back four.

It would be interesting to see how he fares as a right-sided centre-back in a back four for Rangers under Rohl, as he has won 52% of his aerial duels in the Premiership this season, per Sofascore, which suggests that he could hold his own in aerial battles in the heart of the defence.

Unleashing the captain in that new role in a back four, with John Souttar and Derek Cornelius also available for selection, would allow the manager to ruthlessly ditch Djiga and end his underwhelming loan in January.

Rangers now monitoring boyhood Celtic fan who's withdrawn from Scotland squad

The Gers know all about his quality.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 12, 2025

Now, though, it is down to the German head coach to decide whether or not to experiment with this tactical change in order to end Djiga’s time with the Gers.

Spirit’s pace attack of Jamie Overton, Dan Worrall, Luke Wood and Richard Gleeson hunted brilliantly as a pack

ECB Media14-Aug-2025London Spirit held off the charge of Trent Rockets under lights at Lord’s to register their second win and throw The Hundred men’s competition wide open.The win takes them into a five-way tie at the top, while for Rockets, their hopes of peeling off a third consecutive run-chase to go outright top were dashed as Spirit held their nerve to clinch it by 21 runs.Despite the final winning margin, at the midway point of the Rockets’ chase the game was beautifully poised. Tom Banton and Joe Root had carved out 69 for the first wicket, with Banton having just launched Dan Worrall for an 89-metre six.But when Jamie Overton removed Banton in eccentric fashion, the opener angling a dab onto his own stumps to depart for 46, Spirit got to work. The next set, delivered by Worrall, swung the game decisively – David Willey and then Rehan Ahmed falling in the space of three balls, the latter clean-bowled by a beautiful away cutter.Five balls later, when Root mistimed his sweep shot against Liam Dawson to fall for 27, the Rockets had lost four wickets in 14 deliveries, all but ending their chances of hauling in a record chase at Lord’s in the Hundred. Some muscular hitting from Marcus Stoinis at the death was too little too late.Spirit’s pace attack of Overton, Worrall, Luke Wood and Richard Gleeson, who sent down this year’s fastest tournament delivery to date – a 94.1mph yorker – hunted brilliantly as a pack.With the bat, Jamie Smith was the star man for Spirit. Promoted to open he was irresistible, going to his half-century in 32 balls and sharing a 73-run partnership with Kane Williamson, the pair laying the platform for Ashton Turner to pump a quickfire 16-ball 30 at the death.Meerkat Match Hero Smith said: “It’s been difficult at times at home for us, so to come out here and get a win here in front of a fantastic crowd is really important and steps us on for the next few games we’ve got coming up here.”Our seamers took the pace off, and we used the ground dimensions really nicely, and most importantly we kept taking wickets, which stemmed the flow for them.”It’s nice to get some runs, especially on a new ground and playing for a new team. It’s good to start well, and we’ve got a quality team. I just need to keep building the relationships with the guys at the top of the order, David Warner and Kane Williamson, and the players we’ve got throughout.”